Numenéra North

Journey to Redstone

The campaign starts as the party sails from the “haven of the east”, the port city of Nebalich. The five adventurers have hired on as guards aboard the ‘Spent Havoc’, a small 6 meter wooden trow fitted with sturdy wooden outriggers and a synth sail.

A light sea breeze careens into the synth-sails overhead as the Spent Havoc slices through chop near the base of the redstone cliffs to starboard. There is an almost imperceptible thrum that resonates from the scrubbed wooden deck. White marbled citadels slowly retreat from view until finally it is impossible to make out the fluttering emerald banners of Nebalich. To port is the vast and mysterious Sere Marica. Yet it is the redstone cliffs that Spent Havoc’s captain watches with all of his attention.

There ahead in the distance is a break in the cliffs. It is a clear cut channel under a carved arch of the same red stone. Strange winged creatures are in flight throughout the impossibly engineered arch. The wing of one touches the twisted claw of another, which uses its beak to bite into the back of a third, and so on.

Deymish cries out to his crew and the Spent Havoc heaves over and makes way for the narrow channel.

The journey into the impossibly high and straight canals proceeded well, though cramped aboard Spent Havoc with her light 2 man crew and captain. Nearing the end of the second day disaster nearly claimed the entire ship after being engulfed by a moving patch of numenera warped water.

Spent Havoc’s capable crew works the synth-sails to make yet a third channel turn in as many days. A scintillating display of hues suddenly appears on the surface of the channel waters a few ship lengths away.

As the patch eased over the craft, by the stern, heavy salt crystals formed. Though only a meter of the ships stern and deck were covered, the Spent Havoc’s bow noticeably raised out of the water. Soon after the crew gave name to the threat, ’Widow’s Water’, and urged the adventurers to get the boat out of it or they would surely be doomed.

Captain Deymish reacted without hesitation, bull rushing towards the bow where he could control the craft’s movement. Gray was shouldered into the water between the central hull and the starboard outrigger.

Nial grabbed the mooring mast at the prow and attempted to spin around it over the water to give the captain room to control the craft. The one-step momentum proved too great for the old mooring mast, it snapped like an autumn dried twig sending it and Nial out over the water. As he lost control he desperately reached for a boat hook that he had previously kicked out to hang over the prow gunwale. Nial’s victorious grin lasted only a moment, as the wooden shaft came into his grasp the hook end caught Captain Deymish’s exposed ankle. His legs legs were yanked from under him and his head double tapped on the deck; Deymish was out cold!

Crewman Derro lept from the port outrigger and made his way to the control station at the bow while Nial and Gray swam back to the relative safety of the aptly named Spent Havoc.

Meanwhile Shadow decided to lessen the load on the boat by heaving the cargo crates into the Widow’s Water at the stern. Crewman Halanka cried out to stop, but it was too late and the crate hit the water. By now, Nial was back on deck and pulled a tarnished grappling hook and rope from his pack. With skill he attached the rope to its end, and Shadow took the hint and tossed the heavy grappling hook out towards the drifting crate. It hit squarely, but one of the hooks crushed through the woods top surface, shattering medicinal vials.

Finally, Derro controlled the boat out of danger and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The damaged crate was retrieved and Captain Deymish was thankfully revived. Taking control of his craft the Captain piloted through the darkness to the safety of Redstone.

A strange dockman met them at Redstone, helping them tie off a bit slow. After a quick interview Captain Deymish ordered everyone to pitch in and haul Spent Havoc and three other smaller craft onto shore. During this time the strange acting man explained that the town had not slept without being woken from indescribable nightmares for nearly a week. Some townsfolk had left, a few had killed themselves, and the primary business of the town at the quarry was halted.

A little more investigation led the party to the town’s mayor, a portly middle-aged man named Corl. Deymish explained they were here to deliver three crates of medicine to the Aeon Priest at the Clave. Corl said there were three Aeon Priests and took them to the overshadowing tower at the top of the slanted cut that the town of Redstone sat upon. They were met by a spear holding guardswoman named Hataniah.

Hataniah explained that they could come back tomorrow to see if the Aeon Priest’s would allow them to enter. The mayor answered a few more questions, but it was obvious that attention spans and abilities of the townsfolk was at the edge, having been without good sleep for so long.

Mayor Corl led them to the house of Frent, a quarry worker who was the first to succumb to suicide. The party investigated the house and finding no answers decided to visit Redstone’s quarry.

The quarry overseer turned out to be the mayor’s sister, Salia. They examined where Frent worked and through their unique talents discovered numenera within the rock. With excitement they urged the excavation of the stone. After a short bit of stone and chisel work, ruining a good bit of redstone, they retrieved a petrified wood ring. However, it was still mostly encased in redstone. Salia said it would take her about a day to carefully chip it free, and made no guarantee that it would come free without breaking. The party agreed to this stipulation and began their trip back to Redstone proper where they met Dalias, the brother of Hataniah, who also guarded the tower.

Dalias refused them entry, but did use a key to unlock the wrought iron gate. Once inside he said he would check for a mark that the Aeon Priest’s would leave if they were to be accepted inside. There was no such mark. Nial strongly admonishing Dalias of the Aeon Priest’s responsibility in this matter. Despite this Dalias refused entrance. The day reached noon and more than a few of the party were yawning from all their exertions, but sleep was immediately interrupted by horrid unexplainable alien dreams.